1. Technical Field
This invention relates to food processing systems and, more particularly, to an automatic food processing system for processing, cooking, and packaging various types of meats.
2. Prior Art
Chickens are one of the most important food sources in the world and the number of chickens raised for this purpose, internationally, averages more than 10 billion at any given time. The U.S., birthplace of Colonel Sanders Kentucky fried chicken is, not surprisingly, one of the largest consumer nations of chickens in the world. Americans consume more chickens than anyone else in the world except for the residents of Hong Kong.
In 1940, the average American consumed about only two pounds of broiler meat a year and 14 pounds of chicken altogether. “Broiler” refers to weight range of the birds as designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Broilers are immature chickens. In 1950, broilers were chickens 15-16 weeks old. Now, 6-week-old chickens fall into the broiler weight specification. In 2004, the average American ate 79.7 pounds of broiler meat, 40 times more than in 1940, (and 81.2 pounds of total chicken), according to the USDA.
During the same time period, consumption of red meat increased but not by nearly as great a percentage. Annual consumption of all red meats went from 142 pounds per person in 1940 to 169 pounds per person in 2004. The rise of chickens to such a prominent position in the American diet can be attributed to important changes in the way chicken was marketed to the public and Colonel Harlan Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. In the early 1960s, Sanders' restaurants offered housewives the option of picking up tasty fried chicken meals without the mess and fuss of preparing them at home. Americans like chicken prepared in other ways such as roasted, broiled, or barbecued. For some reason, however, no one has ever introduced smoked chickens in the U.S., a tasty and healthy way of cooking chickens that is enjoyed in other parts of the world.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,009 to Gladd discloses a multi-product meat processing assembly for smoking meat. The assembly includes a plurality of sequentially adjacent chambers and trolley assemblies for carrying meats hung from racks through the chambers. An indexing mechanism positions the racks at predetermined positions within each of the chambers. The assembly also includes telescoping doorways separating the chambers. The assembly further includes a reversible fan for moving air in two directions through each of the chambers. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not automatically smoke a meat product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,423 to Belier discloses a two-part smoker assembly having a slide-detachable fire chamber engageable to a separable smoking chamber. The chamber is capable of being mountably rested atop the firebox walls of a grill. The slide-detachable smoking chamber has front and rear access doors, a side opening for side-attaching the fire chamber thereto, a top-opening for mounting a cover lid thereon, and food racks for supporting food materials within the smoking chamber. Within the smoking chamber, rack supports for the food racks are provided for adjusting the food racks to various levels. The cover is hinged and consists of a central piano hinge, which divides the cover lid into two openable halves and allows access to the food racks from the top front or top rear of the assembly. The slide-detachable fire chamber includes a stoking door to facilitate loading a fuel source, such as wood, a gas assist apparatus, a bottom ash pit, an ash door for holding and emptying ashes, draft dampers, and a smoke outlet for communication to the side opening of the smoking chamber. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not automatically smoke a meat product.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,834 to Anders discloses an apparatus and method for cooking and smoking food items and a smoked product produced by the inventive method. The inventive apparatus preferably comprises an oven including a belt-type conveyor, for continuously conveying food items through the oven, and a circulation system for circulating a cooking medium in the oven such that the cooking medium contacts and cooks the food items. The apparatus further includes a smoke generation and delivery system for delivering smoke to the circulating system such that the smoke contacts the food items along with the cooking medium. The inventive method preferably comprises the steps of continuously conveying food items through an oven and delivering smoke into the oven such that the smoke contacts the food items. The oven used in the inventive apparatus and inventive method is preferably an indirect-fired oven. The smoke most preferably contacts the food items in an impinging manner. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not automatically smoke a meat product.
Accordingly, a need remains for an automatic smoking system in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a system that is convenient and easy to use, durable in design, and designed for processing, cooking, and packaging various types of meats. The automatic smoking system provides an efficient method for processing and packaging poultry and meat products to thereby produce healthy and tasty food items to users, for a reasonable price. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.